Top-ranked Auggie wrestling comes out victorious in Moorhead

The Augsburg wrestling team opened its dual-meet season with a 28-9 victory over Minnesota State University Moorhead on Thursday evening at Alex Nemzek Hall in Moorhead. Even though they took on a Division-II school in Minnesota State Moorhead, the Auggies continued their success against the Dragons, improving their all-time series record to 20-1, dating to the 1984-85 season.

The Auggies trailed the Dragons 9-7 early after five bouts but ended up winning the final five due to three major decisions and a forfeit, all leading to their resounding 28-9 victory.

Many different Auggie wrestlers shined on Thursday, with top-ranked 165-pounder Ryan Epps being one of them. Epps was last year’s 157-pound Division-III national champion, and he continued to prove why he is still on top despite moving up a weight class. Epps won 8-0, using a takedown, two reversals as well as a 5:05 riding time advantage. Epps has yet to lose a match this season, going 9-0 so far, adding to his stellar 85-8 record for his career.

The Wilson brothers, Alex and Aaron, both were victorious on Thursday. At 157, Alex Wilson improved to 7-2 on the season using four takedowns and a 2:17 riding-time advantage to come out victorious against the Dragons’ Braydon Ortloff. His twin brother and top-ranked 149-pounder nationally, Aaron, won by forfeit. David Flynn and Sam Bennyhoff continued their dominance as well, both picking up major decisions on the night.

Augsburg’s next team match will be held at the Loras College Duals next Saturday (Dec. 15) in Dubuque, Iowa. Loras is the seventh-ranked squad in the nation, so they will be determined to come out on all cylinders, looking to move up in the rankings against the Auggies who are still ranked number-one in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division-III national poll.

This article was originally published in the Dec. 14, 2018 issue.

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